On a Quiet Day
by SYF
Summary: The office is unnaturally quiet, Hisoka has a headache, and work is actually being accomplished. What does this have to do with Tatsumi? And how will Tsuzuki fix it up? Second in the Amethyst and Sapphire arc.


Amethyst and Sapphire 2: On a Quiet Day  
  
The office was quiet. Unbearably quiet. The giggles, screams, and shouts that usually pervaded the office were absent. Everyone was seated quietly at their own desk, and working industriously, or in the case of some, drawing industriously. There were two reasons for this change of atmosphere. One was Tatsumi. The shadow master wasn't a happy man. He was tense, angry, and abrupt with everyone, which was unusual to say the least, usually he was civilized to all of them, but apparently not so this morning. The incident with Watari early this morning was evident enough.  
  
Watari was chatting with Yuma and Saya when Tatsumi had walked in. Even without empathic abilities everyone could sense the cloud of doom surrounding Tatsumi. Ignoring people he walked right up to Watari and demanded the report that was due from the scientist. Like usual Watari laughed sheepishly and told Tatsumi that he had forgotten. Normally Tatsumi would shout at the scientist, Watari would promise to finish it today, Tatsumi would grumble and it would all be forgotten. However this time, Tatsumi coldly informed the blond that unless the report was on his desk at the end of the day Watari could expect a pay cut until it was handed in.  
  
The office had gone quiet, watching the confrontation. A few of the shinigami winced as they heard Tatsumi's ultimatum. Shocked, Watari stammered out his agreement that the report would be finished and handed to Tatsumi's own hands today afternoon. Finished with Watari, Tatsumi sent an icy glare around the office. All looked away when they encountered his glacial blue eyes. Ice hung off his words as he told the shinigami frostily and concisely that any noise at all this day would result in dire consequences. No one dared to ask what those consequences were.  
  
Fearing his wrath, many of the shinigami were walking around on tiptoes and laying low for a while. Not even Watari was blowing anything up or testing out his new formula. He knew not to push his limits.  
  
The second reason was that a certain disruptive shinigami was missing. Without Tsuzuki around Wakaba, Saya, Yume, and Watari just couldn't find it in their hearts to get up to mischief. Tsuzuki was either the instigator or the enthusiastic spectator, cheering on the participants loudly. Either way without Tsuzuki here any event was deemed...boring. Even if Tatsumi was in a relatively good mood, which he definitely wasn't, the office would have been quiet. Not as quiet as it was now, but it would have been very quiet indeed.  
  
Hisoka, sitting at his desk, was not in a very good mood either. And not because of Tatsumi, or the absence of Tsuzuki. It was the fact that the emotional vibes in this place were giving him the biggest migraine he had ever suffered. Tatsumi, as usual, didn't appear on his empathic radar but everyone else was. Their thoughts were very loud and distracting too. And there was nothing he could do about it. He tried to put his shields up but it was no use. He could still hear them.  
  
And he had to cancel his date tonight too. That more than anything else, was pissing him off. And it was an anniversary date. But apparently since Tsuzuki was sick he had to do his work as well. Not for the first time Hisoka wished Tsuzuki would just get better and do his own work. Hisoka gritted his teeth as another barrage of thoughts came flying into his head. The thoughts didn't come in a nice and steady stream that would have allowed him to ignore it. The thoughts came in packages. One minute it might be silent the next people's thoughts would erupt in Hisoka's mind. It was more than annoying. It was downright irritating.  
  
I wonder why Tatsumi's so upset.  
  
I wish I could blow something up but then Tatsumi would kill me.  
  
I just want to scream!!!  
  
Hmm, I wonder if Tsuzuki is okay.  
  
Maybe I can. . . This is so. . . Boooooring. . . Maybe Tatsumi is just feeling sick. . . A small explosion for heaven's. . . Arrrrrrrgh!!!  
  
That was the last straw. Hisoka leapt up out of his seat, his seat crashing to the ground, and glared at the room in general. Everyone paused as they stared at the seething boy in shock. Some wondered if Tatsumi was going to storm out of his office, that crash caused by the chair was loud enough to warrant some attention. Fortunately for Hisoka and everyone else, Tatsumi didn't seem to have heard, or he didn't care. Yet, even if Tatsumi had stormed out not many would have paid attention. All were mesmerized by the sight of Hisoka's irate scowl.  
  
"Either put up your shields or stop thinking so damn loud," the pale boy snarled, his voice sounding loud in the silent room. His emerald eyes glittered with frustrated anger. The room went dead still. No one had ever seen Hisoka this angry before. They were used to him scowling but this was beyond just a normal frown. He looked genuinely furious.  
  
Sending out one last glare around the room Hisoka sat down once again and continued with his work, hoping that people would take his advice, before he ripped all their heads off. Everyone else shared glances at the rather unusual behaviour that Hisoka was displaying today. All of them unanimously decided to get back to work, immediately. This time it was even quieter. Having one upset and powerful shinigami was bad enough, two was a lot worse. With both Hisoka and Tatsumi upset no one dared to do anything but work, work, and work.  
  
Within three hours or so, the whole department got more work done than they normally would have in a week. A young man from another department came by to chat but at a glare from Hisoka he quietly left. Across the whole of JuOhCho people wondered why the EnmaCho section was so quiet.  
  
"What's going on?" Heads snapped up at the familiar sounding voice that broke the uncomfortable silence. Mouths dropped open as the shinigami stared at their unlikely saviour. Hisoka was the first to gain his voice.  
  
"If you ever leave me alone to do all the reports, demon attack or no, I will tear you apart with my bare hands," Hisoka said calmly even though his glare betrayed his voice. Normally he wasn't one for threats but the very tense afternoon, not to mention the cancelled date, was more than enough provocation.  
  
The bewildered Tsuzuki blinked at the stern and vicious hiss coming from Hisoka's mouth. When Hisoka only continued to glare Tsuzuki smiled lopsidedly. "Gomen 'Soka, I forgot about the reports," he apologized sheepishly. Hisoka nodded tersely and went back to his desk without another glance. He could have called his partner names, and tell him to do his own work, but Hisoka just couldn't be bothered anymore.  
  
Wakaba came forward and half-hugged the injured shinigami taking care not to hurt him. "It's good to have you back Tsuzuki," she stage-whispered. Tsuzuki nodded but his purple eyes reflected his confusion at the way Wakaba was whispering. Saya and Yume also came forward and whispered their greetings as well. When even Watari whispered Tsuzuki couldn't take it anymore.  
  
"Why are you all whispering?" Everyone, even Hisoka, winced at the seemingly loudness of Tsuzuki's voice in the silent room. Tsuzuki looked around, complete bafflement on his face.  
  
"Tatsumi is in a bad mood," Wakaba explained. This made Tsuzuki stare at the room with a blank expression on his face.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"He has a headache," Hisoka answered having given up on work since he knew that with Tsuzuki here no one would ever get any work done. The only reason he knew Tatsumi had a headache was because he had seen the man swallowing some aspirin this morning, and not because of some empathic power expenditure. His explanation only served to make Tsuzuki even more perplexed.  
  
"But Tatsumi isn't this bad, not even with a headache," Tsuzuki protested fervently. All conversation stopped as one by one people turned to look at him. Everyone sweatdropped seeing the look of pure confusion on the purple eyed shinigami's face.  
  
"Where have you been all these years?" Watari asked incredulously. He wondered how a powerful shinigami like Tsuzuki could be so oblivious. Tatsumi had always been like this to everyone on one of his off days, this one was just worse than the normal attacks. How could Tsuzuki not have noticed in all these years?  
  
"He always talks to me, and calls me names, but he doesn't seem to mind me talking," Tsuzuki defended his remark. Immediately the expression on Hisoka's face cleared. At least he understood what was going on, even if the others didn't.  
  
"But that's because it's you he's talking to," Hisoka pointed out calmly. Watari's head whirled around to stare at Hisoka. No one else seemed to have noticed anything out of the ordinary with his statement. Hisoka transferred his stare to Watari. The two shinigami stared at each other, Watari's eyes were full of questions and Hisoka's were full of smug triumph. A slow grin spread across the blond scientist's face, as he finally understood what Hisoka was saying.  
  
He had always suspected that there was something going on between those two. Hisoka's remark had only confirmed it. It should have been blazingly obvious. The way Tatsumi always seemed to be smiling in Tsuzuki's presence, even if it was usually an evil smile, the almost brotherly protectiveness that Tatsumi seemed to have for Tsuzuki. Only it wasn't brotherly, definitely not.  
  
As for Tsuzuki, the respect and affection he held for the bespectacled man might seem to have been a case of hero worship. But Watari had never seen Tsuzuki go to such lengths to try to befriend a man who continued to push him away. Certainly, he did the same for Hisoka, but it had mellowed into the affection of friends rather than lovers. Not even after Tatsumi had 'dumped' him, had Tsuzuki given up on the man. Watari only wondered why no one else had seen it before. And why a kid like Hisoka, who hadn't been here as long, noticed first. Then again none of them were empaths were they?  
  
"Hey Tsuzuki, why dontcha go talk to Tatsumi?" Watari suggested with a wide grin.  
  
"I thought you said he was in a bad mood." Watari suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Tsuzuki could be so naïve at times.  
  
"I'm sure he won't mind," he cajoled with a smile that had fooled many into believing that he was just an eccentric scientist. Of course that assumption was far from the truth, but it came in handy sometimes. And it seems that this was one of those times since Tsuzuki just smiled and head for the dreaded office of doom. Behind him, others watched anxiously as he bravely knocked on the door.  
  
"What?" Tsuzuki flinched hearing the tense anger in Tatsumi's voice. Nonetheless he had to try, for the sake of his friends. So he took a deep breath and pasted a bright smile on his face.  
  
"It's me Tsuzuki, can I come in?" he asked cheerfully. Many winced expecting his cheerfulness to get the verbal rejection from Tatsumi, or worse. Surprisingly, however, the door opened with barely a sound. Tsuzuki caught a flicker of shadow disappearing indicating that Tatsumi hadn't bothered to get up and open the door. With a shrug Tsuzuki entered the room and shut the door behind him. A huge collective sigh was heard from the people in the room he had left behind.  
  
"That went surprisingly well," Wakaba said slightly surprised when no one else said anything. Watari and Hisoka shared a look, then the scientist started to snigger and Hisoka cracked a tiny satisfied smile. All of the other shinigami turned to the pair.  
  
"What did we miss?" Saya asked tilting her head slightly to the left. Watari only kept on laughing and Hisoka continued to smile that Mona Lisa smile. Saya, Yume, and Wakaba shared a three-way look and simultaneously rolled their eyes.  
  
"Men," they sighed. This only served to make Watari laugh even harder and Hisoka's small smile widened into a full smirk.  
  
Before anything else could be said, the door of Tatsumi's office opened. Watari stopped laughing and Hisoka looked up. First to exit was Tsuzuki, a grinning Tsuzuki. Hisoka's eyebrows went up at how smug the shinigami looked. Now, what could have happened in there that would make him smile like that?  
  
Following him was Tatsumi, not a happy Tatsumi but a pleasant Tatsumi nonetheless. Watari grinned again and winked at Hisoka triumphantly. Hisoka smiled back, two schemers united in their matchmaking. They stood back and watched as Tsuzuki grabbed Tatsumi by the arm and dragged him forward. Tatsumi scowled but it was a mock-scowl rather than a death glare. Watari shook his head wondering how he could have missed all the clues in all these decades when a newbie like Hisoka figured it out in years.  
  
"Tsuzuki has convinced me to let all of you have the rest of the day off. Apparently I have been terrifying all of you with my 'scary glare'," Tatsumi pushed his glasses up and looked around the room wryly. Open mouths and wide eyes greeted his statement. No one could speak. Not Even Watari had been expecting this. The best he had expected was a happier Tatsumi, not a day off.  
  
"Are you joking?" Wakaba squealed looking positively freaked out. Then again this was Tatsumi saying these words. Tatsumi glared at her, but it was a mild glare instead of a glare o' death.  
  
"I never joke," he answered frigidly, then his glare turned into a sinister smile, "unless of course you don't want the rest of the day off?" His voice was saccharine sweet, and held the slightest hint of a purr. As if they had used magic, all of the workers disappeared. Well, almost all. Hisoka looked around the empty office with a bemused smile.  
  
"What did Tsuzuki say to make you decide to give us a day off?" Hisoka directed his question at Tatsumi. The older shinigami smirked and glanced at Tsuzuki out of the corner of his eyes. Tsuzuki was still grinning widely.  
  
"He promised me he'd finish all of his reports." Tsuzuki lost his smile and grimaced but nodded in agreement. Tatsumi nodded and smiled at Hisoka cordially and turned away. Then he stopped just at the threshold of his office. "And he asked me nicely." Hisoka, for once, could only gape. Tsuzuki merely smiled at Hisoka's shocked look and sat down at his own desk to begin the reports.  
  
Hisoka shook his head and walked out of the office with a smile on his face. He didn't care if anyone saw him like this. The loss of a reputation was more than worth it. Apparently things were going along very well. All Tatsumi needed was a little nudge in the right direction and things would be perfect. It felt good to play matchmaker, he decided, he only hoped that he had more chance to ply his skills in the near future.  
  
~ * ~ * ~  
  
As promised here is the second part of Amethyst and Sapphire. Okay, so it didn't have as much Tatsumi and Tsuzuki as I would have liked but remember they are still at the friendship stage. Neither one is talking. Although, with the help of Hisoka and Watari I doubt that's going to be much of a problem later on.  
  
As always, please review. Oh yeah, I forgot about the disclaimer so here it is:  
  
I have not, do not, and will not ever own Yami no Matsuei. The characters belong to Matsushita Yoko. The storyline however is mine, and any resemblance to any other fanfic either in this fandom, or other fandoms, is merely coincidental.  
  
So there it is, my disclaimer. And one other thing, I don't respond well to abusive reviews. I know that most are nice enough to tell me about my faults politely, but just in case, any flames will be merely rebound back on the perpetrator with ten times the intensity.  
  
Ja ne,  
  
Syf 


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